Three-phase electric power (industrial applications only)

Although single-phase power is more prevalent today, three-phase is still chosen as the power of choice for many different types of applications. Generators at power stations supply three-phase electricity. This is a way of supplying three times as much electricity along three wires as can be supplied through two, without having to increase the thickness of the wires. It is usually used in industry to drive motors and other devices.

A three-phase electric motor

Three-phase electricity is by its very nature a much smoother form of electricity than single-phase or two-phase power. It is this more consistent electrical power that allows machines to run more efficiently and last many years longer than their relative machines running on the other phases. Some applications are able to work with three-phase power in ways that would not work on single phase at all.

Mind you, since three-phase electricity is rarely used for domestic purposes, the table below is only relevant to electricians, electrical engineers and other technically skilled people. Travellers and laymen should take a look at the single-phase voltage table.

Country

Three-phase voltage (volts)

Frequency (hertz)

Number of wires (not including the ground wire)

Abu Dhabi (not a country, but capital of the United Arab Emirates)

400 V

50 Hz

3, 4

Afghanistan

380 V

50 Hz

4

Albania

400 V

50 Hz

4

Algeria

400 V

50 Hz

4

American Samoa

208 V

60 Hz

3, 4

Andorra

400 V

50 Hz

3, 4

Angola

380 V

50 Hz

4

Anguilla

120/208 V / 127/220 V / 240/415 V

60 Hz

3, 4

Antigua and Barbuda

400 V

60 Hz

3, 4

Argentina

380 V

50 Hz

3, 4

Armenia

400 V

50 Hz

4

Aruba

220 V

60 Hz

3, 4

Australia

400 V

50 Hz

3, 4

Austria

400 V

50 Hz

3, 4

Azerbaijan

380 V

50 Hz

4

Azores

400 V

50 Hz

3, 4

Bahamas

208 V

60 Hz

3, 4

Bahrain

400 V

50 Hz

3, 4

Balearic Islands

400 V

50 Hz

3, 4

Bangladesh

380 V

50 Hz

3, 4

Barbados

200 V

50 Hz

3, 4

Belarus

380 V

50 Hz

4

Belgium

400 V

50 Hz

3, 4

Belize

190 V / 380 V

60 Hz

3, 4

Benin

380 V

50 Hz

4

Bermuda

208 V

60 Hz

3, 4

Bhutan

400 V

50 Hz

4

Bolivia

400 V

50 Hz

4

Bonaire

220 V

50 Hz

3, 4

Bosnia & Herzegovina

400 V

50 Hz

4

Botswana

400 V

50 Hz

4

Brazil

220/380 V

60 Hz

3, 4

British Virgin Islands

190 V

60 Hz

3, 4

Brunei

415 V

50 Hz

4

Bulgaria

400 V

50 Hz

4

Burkina Faso

380 V

50 Hz

4

Burma (officially Myanmar)

400 V

50 Hz

4

Burundi

380 V

50 Hz

4

Cambodia

400 V

50 Hz

4

Cameroon

380 V

50 Hz

4

Canada

120/208 V / 240 V / 480 V / 347/600 V

60 Hz

3, 4

Canary Islands

400 V

50 Hz

3, 4

Cape Verde (in Portuguese: Cabo Verde)

400 V

50 Hz

3, 4

Cayman Islands

240 V

60 Hz

3

Central African Republic

380 V

50 Hz

4

Chad

380 V

50 Hz

4

Channel Islands (Guernsey & Jersey)

400 V

50 Hz

4

Chile

380 V

50 Hz

3, 4

China, People’s Republic of

380 V

50 Hz

3, 4

Colombia

220 V / 440 V

60 Hz

3, 4

Comoros

380 V

50 Hz

4

Congo, Democratic Republic of

380 V

50 Hz

3, 4

Congo, People’s Republic of

400 V

50 Hz

3, 4

Cook Islands

415 V

50 Hz

3, 4

Costa Rica

240 V

60 Hz

3, 4

Côte d’Ivoire (Ivory Coast)

380 V

50 Hz

3, 4

Croatia

400 V

50 Hz

4

Cuba

190 V / 440 V

60 Hz

3

Curaçao

220 V / 380 V

50 Hz

3, 4

Cyprus

400 V

50 Hz

4

Czechia (Czech Republic)

400 V

50 Hz

3, 4

Denmark

400 V

50 Hz

3, 4

Djibouti

380 V

50 Hz

4

Dominica

400 V

50 Hz

4

Dominican Republic

120/208 V / 277/480 V

60 Hz

3, 4

Dubai (not a country, but the largest city in the United Arab Emirates)

400 V

50 Hz

3, 4

East Timor (Timor-Leste)

380 V

50 Hz

4

Ecuador

208 V

60 Hz

3, 4

Egypt

380 V

50 Hz

3, 4

El Salvador

200 V

60 Hz

3

England

400 V

50 Hz

4

Equatorial Guinea

[unavailable]

[unavailable]

[unavailable]

Eritrea

400 V

50 Hz

4

Estonia

400 V

50 Hz

4

Ethiopia

380 V

50 Hz

4

Faeroe Islands

400 V

50 Hz

3, 4

Falkland Islands

415 V

50 Hz

4

Fiji

415 V

50 Hz

3, 4

Finland

400 V

50 Hz

3, 4

France

400 V

50 Hz

4

French Guiana

380 V

50 Hz

3, 4

Gabon (Gabonese Republic)

380 V

50 Hz

4

Gambia

400 V

50 Hz

4

Gaza

400 V

50 Hz

4

Georgia

380 V

50 Hz

4

Germany

400 V

50 Hz

4

Ghana

400 V

50 Hz

3, 4

Gibraltar

400 V

50 Hz

4

Great Britain (GB)

415 V

50 Hz

4

Greece

400 V

50 Hz

4

Greenland

400 V

50 Hz

3, 4

Grenada

400 V

50 Hz

4

Guadeloupe

400 V

50 Hz

3, 4

Guam

190 V

60 Hz

3, 4

Guatemala

208 V

60 Hz

3, 4

Guinea

380 V

50 Hz

3, 4

Guinea-Bissau

380 V

50 Hz

3, 4

Guyana

190 V

60 Hz

3, 4

Haiti

190 V

60 Hz

3, 4

Holland (officially the Netherlands)

400 V

50 Hz

3, 4

Honduras

208 V / 230 V / 240 V / 460 V / 480 V

60 Hz

3, 4

Hong Kong

380 V

50 Hz

3, 4

Hungary

400 V

50 Hz

3, 4

Iceland

400 V

50 Hz

3, 4

India

400 V

50 Hz

4

Indonesia

400 V

50 Hz

4

Iran

400 V

50 Hz

3, 4

Iraq

400 V

50 Hz

4

Ireland, Republic of (Eire)

400 V

50 Hz

4

Ireland, Northern

400 V

50 Hz

4

Isle of Man

400 V

50 Hz

4

Israel

400 V

50 Hz

4

Italy

400 V

50 Hz

4

Jamaica

190 V

50 Hz

3, 4

Japan

200 V

50 Hz / 60 Hz

3

Jordan

400 V

50 Hz

3, 4

Kazakhstan

380 V

50 Hz

3, 4

Kenya

415 V

50 Hz

4

Kiribati

[unavailable]

[unavailable]

[unavailable]

Korea, North

380 V

50 Hz

3, 4

Korea, South

380 V

60 Hz

4

Kosovo

230 V / 400 V

50 Hz

3

Kuwait

415 V

50 Hz

4

Kyrgyzstan

380 V

50 Hz

3, 4

Laos

400 V

50 Hz

4

Latvia

400 V

50 Hz

4

Lebanon

400 V

50 Hz

4

Lesotho

380 V

50 Hz

4

Liberia

208 V

60 Hz

3, 4

Libya

400 V

50 Hz

4

Liechtenstein

400 V

50 Hz

4

Lithuania

400 V

50 Hz

4

Luxembourg

400 V

50 Hz

4

Macau

380 V

50 Hz

3

Macedonia, Republic of (the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, FYROM)

400 V

50 Hz

4

Madagascar

380 V

50 Hz

3, 4

Madeira

400 V

50 Hz

3, 4

Malawi

400 V

50 Hz

3, 4

Malaysia

415 V

50 Hz

4

Maldives

400 V

50 Hz

4

Mali

380 V

50 Hz

3, 4

Malta

400 V

50 Hz

4

Marshall Islands

[unavailable]

[unavailable]

[unavailable]

Martinique

380 V

50 Hz

3, 4

Mauritania

220 V

50 Hz

3, 4

Mauritius

400 V

50 Hz

4

Mayotte

[unavailable]

[unavailable]

[unavailable]

Mexico

220 V / 480 V

60 Hz

3, 4

Micronesia, Federated States of

[unavailable]

[unavailable]

[unavailable]

Moldova

400 V

50 Hz

4

Monaco

400 V

50 Hz

4

Mongolia

400 V

50 Hz

4

Montenegro

400 V

50 Hz

3, 4

Montserrat

400 V

60 Hz

4

Morocco

380 V

50 Hz

4

Mozambique

380 V

50 Hz

4

Myanmar (formerly Burma)

400 V

50 Hz

4

Namibia

380 V

50 Hz

4

Nauru

415 V

50 Hz

4

Nepal

400 V

50 Hz

4

Netherlands

400 V

50 Hz

3, 4

New Caledonia

380 V

50 Hz

3, 4

New Zealand

400 V

50 Hz

3, 4

Nicaragua

208 V

60 Hz

3, 4

Niger

380 V

50 Hz

4

Nigeria

415 V

50 Hz

4

Northern Ireland

415 V

50 Hz

4

North Korea

380 V

50 Hz

3, 4

Norway

230 V / 400 V

50 Hz

3, 4

Oman

415 V

50 Hz

4

Pakistan

400 V

50 Hz

3

Palau

208 V

60 Hz

3

Panama

240 V

60 Hz

3

Papua New Guinea

415 V

50 Hz

4

Paraguay

380 V

50 Hz

4

Peru

220 V

60 Hz

3

Philippines

380 V

60 Hz

3

Pitcairn Islands

[unavailable]

[unavailable]

[unavailable]

Poland

400 V

50 Hz

4

Portugal

400 V

50 Hz

3, 4

Puerto Rico

480 V

60 Hz

3, 4

Qatar

415 V

50 Hz

3, 4

Réunion

400 V

50 Hz

4

Romania

400 V

50 Hz

4

Russia (officially the Russian Federation)

380 V

50 Hz

4

Rwanda

400 V

50 Hz

4

Saba

[unavailable]

[unavailable]

[unavailable]

Saint Barthélemy (informally also referred to as Saint Barth’s or Saint Barts)

[unavailable]

[unavailable]

[unavailable]

Saint Kitts and Nevis (officially the Federation of Saint Christopher and Nevis)